A Shoulder to Cry On
by AlphaOmegaPsi
Summary: Black Star and Kid are complete opposites in just about everything they do. But when Kid finds the normally cheerful Black Star crying, his entire perspective on him changes. Black Star/Kid
1. Chapter 1

AN: I'm finally out of my writing slump!! This is all thanks to me cleaning my room yesterday. Man, did it need it. And now my back hurts like a bitch, but I don't regret it.

Anyway, this is Black Star/Death the Kid. I got a great idea for them at about 2:00 this morning and started writing it. Who needs sleep anyway? XD

For the sake of argument, everyone is 17 in this story. I don't know their real ages, but it has to be around that age. No way can Tsubaki have such huge boobs and be only 13 or some crap like that. That would just be bad character design.

This story is based off the anime and not the manga. No flamers please

Disclaimer: I don't own this wonderful anime, and I never will :(

* * *

The one thing that Kid prided himself on most was his ability to remain calm and emotionless in nearly any situation. Fear was usually not an emotion he coincided with; hatred was something he had yet to experience and love; well, love was just a dumb emotion anyway and a complete waste of time.

A man a woman weren't symmetrical together. It sickened him to even think about it, let alone even contemplate participating in the act. It wasn't just sex that freaked him out about love; the way girls and guys looked next to each other…it almost made him want to just tear them apart from each other and pair them up with someone of their own sex. It was maddening to have to see such asymmetry every day. Often, Liz would have to drag him off to a quiet secluded place, a giggling Patty trailing behind, until he had calmed down.

Annoyance at anything that was asymmetrical was so common in his everyday life that he barely considered it an emotion anymore; merely a reflexive response, like shutting your eyes when something comes at them quickly.

He had thought everyone thought the way he did when he was younger. He lived a sheltered lifestyle and was often left alone safe for private tutors since his father thought a God of Death didn't require any company in his education and training. But when he obtained Patty and Liz as his battle partners, the older sister had informed him that no, not everyone was "as much of a freak" as he was. Not that the words of the blonde had discouraged him in any way. It only helped confirm that he would be an amazing God of Death with his ultra-perception.

Besides his obsession, there were only two things he had yet to be truly annoyed with. One was the sword Excalibur. Its symmetrical beauty and phenomenal power had lured him to it, but upon actually meeting the penguin-esque(1) sword, he had found its personality to be insufferable. He could barely stand the minute he spent in the weapon's presence, let alone the eternity it promised. Liz and Patty may not have been perfect, but they were leagues ahead of that twit.

The other person who annoyed him, frankly, was the infamous loudmouth meister Black Star. He was always yelling and running around, proclaiming his "godhood" to the willing and unwilling alike with not so much as a glimmer of shame or humility. The boy was much too hyper and unfocused to deserve Kid's patience.

That wasn't to say he overly disliked the guy; if he were ever in a jamb and needed help, Kid would be there as quick as possible to lend a helping hand. The same went for Maka, and her partner Soul, though he would never admit it to their faces.

He felt a sort of connection to the four-Black Star, Tsubaki, Maka, and Soul-that might be construed as friendship by some. But Kid didn't think there was anything more than an acquaintanceship between them. It was just his natural desire to help that drew him to them; they were so danger-prone after all. Besides, being a God of Death was a nearly solitary lifestyle. He knew that even Liz and Patty would have to leave someday, and it would do to start making attachments he couldn't keep.

--

When he left that morning for school, flanked by Patty and Liz, the two sisters could tell Kid was encased in his own thoughts once more. If they weren't careful, soon he would be ranting about toilet paper and making a dive for the door. Liz laid a hand on the shorter boy's shoulder, in case he should make a run for it.

"Hey, Kid," she said, trying to snap him out of his reverie. "What do you say we do something after school today? You, me, and Patty. And maybe Maka; I like her. I hear there's this awesome movie playing downtown…" Kid brushed her hand from his shoulder.

"Did I write out eight lines(2) in my essay yesterday?" He asked distractedly. "I think one of them was half an inch from being an actual line." He gasped. "Oh, no. What if I wrote seven lines instead?" Liz grabbed his arm to keep him from sinking to the ground in despair.

"Kid, trust me, I was sitting next to you and I saw you write exactly eight lines, down to the very smallest fraction." She sighed. Sometimes her master was so annoying with his obsession. Actually, that was a lie; he was annoying all the time.

"But what if I didn't?" He wailed. "The Professor will be so disappointed in me and fail me! And then how will I ever explain it to Father?" Patty giggled loudly.

"He's at it again," she squealed gleefully. Unlike her sister, she found Kid's fits to be an endless source of amusement. Liz shushed her and turned back to the childlike Kid.

"Come on," she said soothingly. "He won't fail you for something like that." She could tell Kid didn't believe her, so she switched tacks. "You always write out your essays so meticulously; there's no way you messed one up. And even if you didn't, Professor Stein will probably let you redo it." Kid's head snapped up at that.

"Yes," he said thoughtfully. "I may have a chance to redeem myself yet. In that case, we should get there quickly." He began walking so fast that Liz and Patty had to practically jog to keep up. It wasn't as if the school was far away; it was practically next door to his father's estate. But Kid walked with all the determination of a pack mule ready for a long trip. It was maddening, but the two could do nothing but follow and accept it.

Students hanging around outside gave them strange looks as they rushed into the building, but Kid didn't seem to notice any of them. That was just like him; so absorbed in himself that others just faded into the background.

When they reached the mission board in the foyer, Kid rushed right past the small group of students gathered at it, trying to find any good missions to take. Liz and Patty stopped when they spotted Tsubaki and Black Star, letting Kid go on his own. He would be fine. They waved when the pair spotted them and joined them in front of the board.

"Good morning Liz-san; Patty-chan(3)," Tsubaki said politely, bowing. "Where is Kid-san this morning?"

"He was the black blur heading that way," Patty said excitedly, pointing down the hallway. Liz sighed.

"We tried to stop him," she said dejectedly. "But you know how he gets. He gains the strength of ten men. We figure its just best to let him do what he wants." She peered behind them at the board. "Have you two found a mission to go on yet?"

"Nah, all these missions are first-rates," Black Star said, scoffing. "They're not worth the time of someone as big as me."

"Actually," Tsubaki said, holding up a wooden block, "We did take this one from the wall. A bunch of dark pixies got loose. You know how they always pull those invisible pranks and terrorize the humans." She smiled. "It sounds like a good mission, sure to get us at least a few souls."

"Aw, I told you not to grab that one!" Black Star exclaimed, pouting. "It's such a kiddy mission. It'll be so easy I could do it with my eyes closed."

"But we can't keep doing remedial stuff forever," Tsubaki explained. "We need to get some souls if we ever want to get ahead here. Let's just do it for that, please?" Black Start glanced at her and groaned.

"Fine, but don't let Soul know I took that dumb mission. He'll never let me live it down."

"Where are Soul and Maka anyway?" Liz said, looking around for the only other sane person in that place besides Tsubaki and herself. "We didn't see them outside either, though it would be hard to see anything the way we rushed. Are they in the classroom?"

"Oh, they're on a mission. They left yesterday, and I guess they haven't come back yet. It must be a pretty hard one." Tsubaki sighed. "It's really a shame, because I was going to ask them to double-team with us on his mission. It's not hard, but it'll be troublesome to do this whole thing by ourselves. Dark pixies are quick."

"If you want, I can convince Kid to help. We're quick enough to catch dark pixies." Liz grinned. Really, she just wanted to do something. Kid was so preoccupied with school that he seemed to forget he could still go on missions. And he was better when he was fighting; not quite so obsessive.

"Oh, would you?" Tsubaki asked excitedly. "That would be great. I don't think we'd be able to do a very good job at all." She glanced nervously at Black Star, but he had mysteriously disappeared. They spotted him through the door when a student opened it, sitting on the steps and screaming at the people. Tsubaki sighed.

"I take my eyes off him for two seconds," she muttered under her breath. Liz and Patty followed her outside. "Uhm, Black Star?" She said, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Eh? What is it Tsubaki?" He said, turning around, annoyance etched on his face.

"Liz-san and Patty-chan are going to convince Kid-san to accompany us on our mission, okay? I thought it would be nice to have some company."

"What?! I don't want that ninny anywhere around me. He'll just hold me back."

"Delusional little thing, isn't he?" Liz whispered to Patty. Her sister laughed behind a hand.

"Please, Black Star. It's a lot less lonely with others there."

"What about Soul and Maka? I would much rather have them around." He pouted again, crossing his arms.

"They're still on their mission, and Liz-san offered." She clasped her hands together. "Please, I know you don't really like him, but I think they would be a great asset and would help out a lot." Liz felt a hand on her elbow and turned around to find Kid standing behind her, the usual bored look on his face.

"What's all the ruckus about?" He asked her, staring at Black Star and Tsubaki arguing back and forth.

"Oh, welcome back. Your essay was fine?"

"It was perfect, as usual." Liz didn't miss the smugness with which he said those words. "What's with those two?"

"I volunteered us to accompany them on a mission, and Black Star doesn't want you there." Liz shrugged. "I think he's just being immature."

"Indeed…" Kid said boredly. "What's the mission?"

"Destroying a bunch of dark pixies. Tsubaki has the mission block." She gestured to the block of wood still clutched in the other girl's right hand. "Are you up for it?"

"Sure," Kid said, shrugging. "Why not? Professor Stein just wants to do another dissection today anyway."

Tsubaki and Black Star finally rejoined them, Black Star looking sulky.

"Fine," he said. "You can come with us. But remember which of us is number one here. If you try to steal my spotlight, you're gone." Kid just stared at him before shrugging.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said sincerely. Black Star 'humph-ed' and sat down on the steps again.

"I'm going to go turn this in to Professor Stein and then we can leave," Tsubaki said before going back inside. Kid just shrugged again and leaned against the wall. This was probably going to be a boring mission. But he had time to kill.

* * *

(1) Did anyone else think he looked like a penguin? Seriously, with that weird suit-thing, all I could think was "penguin, penguin, penguin."

(2) In my mind, they write in the japanese style, and so Kid would be writing his lines from the top of the page to the bottom. It's not very relevent, I just thought I should explain that.

(3) Since Tsubaki is so polite and was raised in a japanese-like household, I'm making her the only one to use honorifics. Usually, I hate using those when writing a story because it makes me look retarded. But it's part of her personality, and so it's added


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry I haven't been submitting lately. I've just been uninspired again. This was actually just written on a whim, this chapter, and kept going until it was finished. So no, it wasn't really thought out. Sorry if it's crappy.

Kid wasn't supposed to get hurt, but I sort of wanted something to happen and so...well, it happened. I don't even know if that WOULD hurt Kid, but it seemed like something that would.

Black Star is a little OOC. I am very sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

* * *

Black Star was not happy. He scowled discreetly at the companions traveling just at the edge of his vision. The cool-demeanored Kid was staring straight ahead with the usual bored expression plastered on his face. His weapons traveled on either side of him, neither noticed the look Black Star was giving them.

He crossed his arms tighter against his chest in an effort to let everyone know just how much he disliked their presence, but nobody paid him any heed. Tsubaki did, however, elbow him in the ribs.

"Stop sulking," she whispered quietly so the others couldn't hear. "This'll be over with before you know it." Black Star growled rather obnoxiously and shot her a death glare of her own.

"If you hadn't invited them, it wouldn't have started in the first place," he hissed. "I'm too big to need any help, especially from that useless freak."

Tsubaki sighed. She knew this would happen if she'd asked them to accompany Black Star and herself. He would have been pissed even if she had invited Soul and Maka, though he would be hiding it better. Truthfully, she didn't think they needed any help either, but she got tired of just Black Star's company sometimes. It was nice to have friends, and she thought Liz and Patty were really nice. Kid was okay too, but he seemed just as reclusive as herself sometimes. Besides, though she would never admit it out loud, she thought Kid was freaky as well.

"You'll be thankful to have the help when we get there. Dark pixies are tricky when there's just one; at least a dozen were released if what Professor Stein said was true." Black Star looked away, the scowl still set on his face, but Tsubaki could see he wasn't going to complain. She smiled in relief. Not a lot of people knew this, but she actually held a lot of control over some of Black Star's actions. He listened to her more often than he let on.

"Where were those little devils, did you say?" Liz squinted off in the distance. "I see a town."

"Oh…uhm, I think it was the town of Ilok." She fished the objective out of her bag tied to the side of her leg. "That should be it. The Professor said it wasn't too far."

"Better get ready, then," Kid said, nodding to Liz and Patty. The immediately changed into their weapon forms and reappeared in his hands. "Never know what could be waiting for us." Black Star nodded reluctantly and held his hand out for Tsubaki.

She nodded and transformed into his weapon of choice; the chained double-scythe. He grabbed her out of the air and finally his scowl transformed into the grin everyone was used to seeing.

"Alright!" He yelled. "Let's go kick some pixie butt!" He rushed on ahead, despite Tsubaki's protestations and her pleading for him to slow down. Kid followed slowly behind, shaking his head at Black Star's stupidity.

--

The village didn't seem to be overly ravaged, but there was definitely an indication that there was something not quite right about it. Several trash bins were overturned; there were barrels in a fountain in the center, and the naked baby on top sprouting water was missing an arm; a few doors were hanging from their hinges and one was laying on the ground in front of a gaping doorway. Kid looked around coolly, calculating; where would the pixies be hiding?

Black Star had rushed off somewhere into the village, but Kid didn't care. It was easier to work alone, anyway. Besides, he wouldn't be the one getting his ass kicked by a bunch of pixies.

"Where are they?" He muttered to himself as he walked slowly through the town, his weapons held in front of him defensively.

"Maybe they left already?" Liz said, in that strange, echo-y voice that she always had in her weapon form. "It looks like they had their fill here; maybe they moved on to find some other victims?"

Kid nodded. It was entirely possible. Pixies were known for causing a lot of mischief, and usually when they had their fill in one place they moved on to terrorize as much as they could. Besides, they didn't know how long ago that mission had been put up.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and whirled round, his guns pointed in front of him. But it was only a young girl, eyes wide with horror and staring at the twin guns. Kid lowered his weapons.

"My apologies," he said. "I didn't know anyone was still here. My…companion and I are searching for some pixies that got loose and were last spotted here. Are they still here, or did they move on?" The girl shrugged, still staring up at Kid with wide, fearful eyes. Kid frowned, annoyed.

"Are there any adults around I might be able to talk to? You're parents, maybe?"

"I don't have any parents," the girl said, so quietly Kid had to strain to hear. "Auntie took care of me, but she and the others left. I'm the only one here." Kid felt a little sorry for the kid. She didn't look like she could be much older than ten, and she was all alone in a town that might have pixies. They weren't known to kill, but an accidental death might still happen if she was all by herself.

"What's your name?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Giza," she said shyly. Kid forced a small smile onto his face.

"Hello, Giza. My name is Kid. Do you know where your auntie and the others went?" If she knew, then he could just go drop her off there before he and Black Star went on a wild chase for the pixies. It wouldn't do to drag her along.

"Auntie said she was going to Taniza village, and to go there if we got separated." She looked like she was going to cry. "B-but…I was too afraid to go by myself." Kid sighed and stood up.

"I'll take you there," he said, indicating with one hand for her to follow him. Her face lit up and she hugged his leg.

"Thank you, thank you so much mister!" Kid felt uncomfortable and sort of shook his leg to detach her. She let go, the happy grin still on her face, and followed just a half-step behind him quietly. Kid was grateful for that, at least. He couldn't concentrate with someone chattering in his ear.

Kid looked around down the alleys and even in some of the vacant houses. But all of them were empty and devoid of any pixies. A small crease formed between his eyes as he frowned. He was hoping to get this mission done with as soon as possible, but it looked like that wouldn't be happening. He looked around for Black Star, but the hyperactive boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, mister, whatcha looking for?" Kid growled in frustration, but it wasn't because of Giza's question.

"My…companion. He went running off into the village and now I can't find him."

"Oh…was it a blue-haired kid with a star on his shoulder?"

Kid turned to look at her. "Yes, that was him. Did you see where he went?" Giza nodded, grinning.

"He went to the graveyard," she said, pointing in the direction he assumed he needed to go. A small smile appeared on Kid's face. If he had any luck, Black Star was still there and they could leave. He wanted to just leave the other boy behind, but he knew he would get hell for it later if he fulfilled the mission.

At first, when they reached the graveyard, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But then an explosion landed in the middle of the grave markers, sending dirt and bits of stone flying.

Kid flung an arm over his eyes to keep them from getting speared and pushed Giza behind him to shield her from the blast. In his head, he was cursing Black Star. He was probably messing around, and destroying the graves in the process. That stupid boy was going to single-handedly destroy everything the pixies had left.

When the smoke cleared, Kid lowered his arm, expecting to find Black Star laughing and Tsubaki scolding him. Instead, he found Black Star in a fierce battle with several pixies, double-scythe flying from his hand in an arc to catch a few from behind, making them explode in little puffs of smoke and be replaced by the red Eggs of Kishin.

Kid stared, almost in awe. He had seen Kid fight before, on his Father's mirror, but for some reason seeing him fight only a few feet from him…it was a different experience. He could see a few beads of sweat running down his face as he backed away, taking down one pixie after another. His face was pulled into a grimace of concentration, so different from his usual grin or pout that Kid wasn't sure at first what to make of it.

He didn't realize he had been staring until one of his guns fell from his slack grip. Startled, he stared down at what he realized was Liz.

"Ouch," he heard her exclaim. "Idiot! Pick me up and get in there! It's not like he's going to ask for your help!" Kid had to agree with her. The proud Black Star would never ask him for any sort of help, and so if he was going to, now would be the time. He nodded and grasped her handle, pulling her up fluidly and easily aiming a shot at a pixie. It disappeared so suddenly that it startled Black Star, who looked over at him. The pixies, taking the opening, immediately began attacking, clawing at his face and hair and arms with their wicked little claws.

"Ouch! Ow, ya damn…! Hold still!" Black Star was screaming as he flailed his scythe desperately about his head in an attempt to get the pixies away from him. Kid shook his head at the stupidity. If that idiot wasn't careful, he was going to chop his own head off.

"Stay back," Kid said to Giza as he stepped forward to help the other boy. He grasped his elbow to pull Black Star out of the cloud of pixies and at the same time let loose a massive blast from his gun, effectively destroying the entire fray.

Kid doubled up when all the pixies became Eggs of Kishin and fell to the ground, arms clamped around his middle at the horrible pain that ripped through him. Using that much soul energy at once was never a good idea.

Black Star stood up and loomed over him. Tsubaki, at his side and transformed back, was staring down at him worriedly. Liz and Patty also transformed on either side of him. Liz laid a hand on his forehead gently.

"Idiot," she said softly. "I've told you plenty of times not to use that much. You know what it does to you."

"Are you alright, Kid-san?" Tsubaki asked worriedly, her hand clenched in a loose fist in front of her mouth in a concerned expression. Kid nodded tightly.

"Yes, I am fine," he gasped painfully. "It will go away in a few minutes." Black Star 'humph-ed' in front of him, his arms crossed.

"You useless idiot," he said, glaring down at him. "I was doing just fine; you didn't need to step in. They were just a bunch of dumb pixies." Kid silently agreed with him, but couldn't seem to voice this as another wave of pain seized him. He groaned and gripped his middle tighter. He wished it would just be done with already. But he usually didn't release that much, so he didn't know how long it would take for the bits of soul to trickle back.

"You guys better gather up the Eggs," he heard Liz say beside him, as if from far away. "We'll look after him." He was vaguely aware of Black Star and Tsubaki walking away before pain clenched his abdomen again and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Is he gonna pass out?" Patty asked Liz from over their master's head. Liz shook her head slowly.

"He better not," she said, with only a slight tinge of annoyance. "I'm not gonna carry him, and that Black Star kid might drop him on his head." Patty laughed, a grating sound around Kid's now-aching head. The pain in his abdomen was fading, but there was a heavy throbbing in his head that jarred his teeth with every rush. He made a mental note to not do that again anytime soon.

"Hey, you okay yet?" A foot nudged his gently. Kid opened his still-closed eyes and stared up at the annoyed face of Black Star. He nodded a little, but winced as the action made his head hurt. The other boy rolled his eyes and offered a hand to help him up. Vaguely, Kid registered reaching out his own hand and grasping the other's before he was hauled to his feet.

The world seemed to spin between his feet and a wave of nausea washed over him as his vision darkened at the edges. He slumped against something solid, and heard, "Hey…what the hell?!" before darkness fell over him.


End file.
